Pennsylvania: Brew fest set for grounds of Gettysburg seminary

Jari Villanueva sounds taps from the historic cupola overlooking the grounds at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pa., where the inaugural Brew Fest will be held in August.

Jari Villanueva sounds taps from the historic cupola overlooking the grounds at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pa., where the inaugural Brew Fest will be held in August. (Gettysburg Festival Inc)

Terry Gardner

Want some history with your hops? Getttysburg's inaugural brew fest combines both in the Pennsylvania town

A brew fest on the grounds of a seminary? Really? Really. And it’s happening in historic Gettysburg, Pa.

The inaugural Gettysburg Brew Fest will be held 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 23 at the historical Lutheran Theological Seminary.

The seminary location might seem odd if you don’t know its history. On July 1, 1863, the grounds of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg became a battlefield. Its dormitory cupola served as a watchtower, and the seminary building became a hospital for the wounded on both sides.

“When doing a festival, I want it to be something you can’t experience anywhere else, so I approached the Lutheran Theological Seminary expecting to be told, ‘Get the heck out of here,’” said Randy Prasse, the festival’s executive director.

“But there is a history of Lutherans brewing, and they were actually thinking of producing a brew festival themselves.”

Beyond tasting as many as 60 brews, guests can sample a variety of ciders and custom-brewed sodas. Several of the 35 participating local and regional breweries have tempting names, including Miscreation and Something Wicked.

Gettysburg, Pa.

Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times

Scenes in the Seminary Ridge Museum, which opened last year, re-create its role as a hospital during the Civil War.

Scenes in the Seminary Ridge Museum, which opened last year, re-create its role as a hospital during the Civil War. (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Earlier in the day, guests can visit Seminary Ridge Museum or take a tour of “Historic Taverns of Adams County and Gettysburg” led by licensed guide John Winkelman, who says that towns like Gettysburg grew up around taverns.

Brew Fest will commence with the sound of cannon fire and end at sunset when taps is sounded from the seminary’s historic cupola.